Small consumer electronic devices have enjoyed increasing popularity in recent years. The 1990s has seen the wide acceptance and use of wireless devices, mobile telephones, messaging devices, pagers, laptops, palmtops, handheld computers and PDAs. Today, business people, students and individuals routinely leave home with a variety of expensive and electronic devices, as well as conventional items such as a wallet, keys and personal organizer. Because individuals today travel to work, home and school with so many items, the loss of an item is common. This can be devastating to an individual who stored important information in a wireless device or who depends on an item, such as keys, to perform his duties.
One solution to this problem describes a hub that remains with a user and electronic beacon emitters, or electronic markers, which are coupled to each item. The electronic markers transmit beacon packets to the hub, which keeps track of the electronic markers. While electronic markers are within range of the hub such that the hub is able to receive beacon packets from the electronic markers, the hub is assured that the electronic marker, and the coupled item, is traveling with or in the possession of the user. When an electronic marker goes out of range of the hub such that the hub is not able to receive beacon packets from the electronic markers, the hub determines that the electronic marker, and the coupled item, is not traveling with or in the possession of the user. Subsequently, the hub sounds an alarm or other indicator to inform the user that the electronic marker and the coupled item are not with the user.
This solution, however, does not come without its drawbacks. The simplified alarm scheme described above can be annoying when a user is in a safe area such as his-work office or at home. When a user is at home, for example, he may desire to put down an item and not be bothered with it. In this case, an alarm is not warranted. In another example, a user may desire not to be bothered with alarms during certain periods of time such as during work hours on weekdays. Alarms can be disruptive and distracting while a user is working.
In another example, a user may desire to couple to an item only in certain conditions. An electronic marker is considered coupled to the hub when it is determined that a user desires to travel or move with the electronic marker and does not want to be separated from or lose the electronic marker. Typically, coupling occurs when a hub encounters an electronic marker, or when an electronic marker comes into range of the hub. However, a user may not desire to have the hub couple to an electronic marker each time the hub encounters the electronic marker. For example, when a user is at home or at the office, the user may not desire to have the hub couple to an electronic marker each time the hub encounters the electronic marker.
Therefore a need exists to overcome the problems with the prior art as discussed above.